February 2018: Glossary VOC Indonesia published

Reading and interpreting texts from the 17th and 18th century can be challenging because of the use of words and spelling that differs from modern Dutch. A glossary can help scholars to interpret specific words and understand their language origine. The Dutch VOC records at the National Archives of Indonesia (ANRI) contain countless numbers of words that originates from Dutch but also from south east asian regions and other areas.

Mona Lohanda (senior archivist at ANRI) made a first selection of terms from the VOC archives, especially from the marginalia of the Daily Journals. These terms have been described and translated in Dutch, Indonesian and English. The etymology of these terms (the origin of them from a language point of view) has been researched by Dr. Tom Hoogervorst of KITLV Leiden and these are added to the glossary. This makes the glossary truly unique.

This glossary has been realized in the DASA project that TCF and ANRI has conducted together over the last years. all results can be found on the website of sejarah-nusantara.anri.go.id and available for download, but also on this page (see below).

The following persons have greatly contributed to realize this glossary:

October 2017: Digital publication of the first volume of the Corpus Diplomaticum

The Corpus Diplomaticum Neerlando-Indicum comprises six volumes, published already between 1907 and 1955 by Mr J.E. Heeres and Dr F.W. Stapel at the Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (KITLV) as a ‘Bijdrage tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indië’. These volumes contain the most imortant collection of political contracts and treaties (more than 1200) concluded by the Dutch in Asia and permits granted to them. It is a rich historical source, but until now only available in print and non-searchable.

The Corts Foundation decided to scan these volumes, partly OCR them and create indexes on the contracts, and names and places in these volumes. The first volume has now been digitized (196 contracts) and published online on the website of Sejarah Nusantara in Indonesia. The publication of Volume 1 can be found at: https://www.sejarah-nusantara.anri.go.id/corpusdiplomaticum/

June 2017: Continued collaboration with Leiden University

On June 6th 2017 four History students of Leiden University started checking and enhancing two digital datasets for access to the Dutch East India Company Archives of the National Archives of Indonesia. The work includes the recording of indexes of person and place names present in the so called Marginalia of the Daily Journals of the Castle of Batavia, and also document descriptions of the series Appendices to the Resolution Books.

The students are supported and guided by Alicia Schrikker and Lennert Bes, both teachers at Leiden University, and Marco Roling and Joan Snellen of The Corts Foundation. The students have the opportunity to get more acquainted with the archives of the Dutch East India Company and her large variety of documents, and also it is a good excercise in reading and interpreting 17th and 18th century texts. Later this year both these indexes will be published online on the website Sejarah-Nusantara.

May 2017: Honor medal award presentation

The Dutch association "De Haagsche Besoygne" has awarded The Corts Foundation for her invaluable efforts and merit for the digital sustainable preservation of Dutch East India Company archives in Jakarta and in particular the digitization of about one million documents at the National Archives of Indonesia.

The secretary of The Corts Foundation, mr. Joan Snellen van Vollenhoven, has received a honor medal on May 30th 2017 at "'t Goude Hooft" in The Hague, on behalf of the board and all participants of the DASA project.

is a Dutch non profit organization that uses the legacy of Kees Corts to perform history and archive projects concerning the former Dutch Indies, especially the period of the Dutch East India company, and end of the colonial period during World War II.